The idea behind Albion is a sound one – old comic book characters coming to life in modern-day London as a pair of comic fans try to unravel the mystery, but the execution is falling somewhat short. Perhaps its because these old British superheroes are lost on an American audience or perhaps it’s just that the writers aren’t giving us what we need to feel for them, but I just can’t seem to connect with any of the characters.

Danny and Penny, after sharing a little exposition, come across a comic book that shouldn’t exist, as the entire run was pulped, and set out to chase its origin. In the meantime, we check in on Captain Hurricane, a World War II-era bruiser, to whom the years have not been kind.

There’s not really anything bad about this issue – the ideas are solid and there’s a nice segment where we check in on an old super-villain, but things don’t quite come together, really. You don’t feel any cohesiveness or immediacy. You just don’t get excited.

The artwork is by far a step up. Shane Oakley uses a looser, cartoonish style complimented by heavy shadows, making the whole thing reminiscent of Mike Avon Oeming’s work on Powers, but they manage to shift gears entirely when they step into Captain Hurricane’s past, giving the sequence a look to mimic old-fashioned comics, and it works well.

This is definitely a comic that looks better than it reads, and with three writers named in the credit box it’s not hard to assume that Alan Moore just farmed an idea out to others without really developing it enough. It’s pretty bland overall.